Worth Fighting For
by plasticineking
Summary: Just something I wrote before series 3. I decided to post it because it was quite cute! : Plus it's quite safe to get me back into the writing game... Gene/Alex.


_I wrote this before series 3, one night, at 3am-ish, or so it said. I can't really remember but I thought I'd post it because It's quite cute. Plus I haven't posted something in ages, and I think this'll be sign of good things to come. If I'm good._

_I don't own Ashes (but let me tell you 3x08 would've ended differently if I did). Enjoy. Luvoo, guys! :)_

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**Worth Fighting For**

Pain. Some people would say there are no words to explain pain. Just like being heartbroken or falling in love or even winning a contest, the series of emotions that rage through you are unexplainable. Doesn't mean a person wouldn't try. So to pass time, that's exactly what Gene Hunt did. Tried to explain to himself the series of emotions that surged through his beaten body. That was just it, he was angry. So very angry that someone, anyone, could manage to make him feel so small. He pulled at the rope that kept his hands together behind his back, feeling the burning twine slice slowly at his wrists and gritted his teeth to make no sound. They had left him there, of course. Tortured and beaten and humiliated, then left there to beat himself up a bit more. The worst part of all this is, he knew they would find him. His team, the people who did this, left enough clues for a monkey to find him, and when his team would find him, they would see him weak, bloody and broken. He knew that now, fighting himself wasn't going to make it easier, just worsen everything so he froze took a breath and relaxed into the splintered wooden chair, thinking first how cliched this whole thing was.

Revenge. That's what those boys had called it. Revenge for the pain that he, Gene Hunt, had caused them. He couldn't remember them, couldn't remember their faces or the crime they had committed, even when they told him. "Banged us away for that corner shop robbery." One had said, in quite an obvious Manchester accent. "Didn't mean to kill 'er she got in our way, stupid kid." Another shouted at him, that's when he remembered a killing of a little girl, not much older than seven. Hit over the head with one of the guys pistol. He still couldn't place the men though, he had forgotten them, probably on purpose. Not carelessly flinging them to the side because he couldn't be bothered to deal, it was because he was dealing and that's how he did it. The revenge in this case was the simple fact, that once in prison word got round about why they were there, killing a kid, never went down well. He sighed, this was not helping his relaxing. No, whiskey would though. It managed to take all the pain away, and over the years had become like a best friend to Gene, especially since that incident with...

Alex. Bloody Alex Drake. How many times had saying that in the heat of the moment, got a stern look and a walk off from her. How many times he wished to battle with her like before. Before he...before he shot her. Shot her and then walked away, basically. He couldn't understand it himself, why he had done it, not the shooting - he understood that well. The standing there, the staring. He stared at her whilst she lay dying, and, for a brief moment, she did died. Right there, her eyes shut and she stopped breathing and he still didn't couldn't move to help her. So he moved away, he knew that staying there would cause more pain that he was truly worth. Then at the hospital, her bright face drained, so what did he do? Show her compassion? Tell her that when she wakes up he'd be there for her? No. That would've been too, easy. To apologize would've been too easy, so he shouted. Shouted because that's what Alex was used to, the shouting, the anger. She knew him for his flared rage and passion behind it. To suddenly take pity on her and treat her like she had been shot, would've just made it real. He couldn't do that, because she wouldn't have wanted him to. So he assumed. Then when she woke, it was like time stood still, like in those stupid films at that vital moment when it was reaching the climax and finally everything was right again, and it was. Apart from when Alex came back to work, there was hardly any passion behind it anymore, they argued like they always did but there was something missing. Like whatever she used to be fighting for, was dead and buried. His thoughts, fears, confirmed one right in Luigi's whilst she nursed a red wine, whispering child-like "She's really gone." That's all it took, before it slot into place, or at least in his head where it wasn't so complicated, and he hugged her, openly, publicly as she cried, no - sobbed into his shirt. All he could think was how wrong it didn't feel, albeit uncomfortable, for her to be in his arms. Then he whispered back into her hair, only loud enough for her to hear, and so the crowd that was pretending not to pay attention couldn't "We'll give you something new to fight for, Bols." He remembered that, because that's when the fights stopped between them. That's when the banter became balanced and almost non-existant. She stopped correcting him and barely noticed him nowadays, so he thought it was a stage of grief but it just didn't fit.

Sleep. Or lack of, finally caught up with him, and he drifted. Nothing to stay awake for, and he would be damned if he would let that rope cut him anymore than it was. So he slept, until he heard a familiar screech. A screech that would normally come from him driving his car, only that was impossible. Jolted awake, he couldn't open his eyes, the beatings finally taking their tole. He heard the clicks, and prayed that it would be anyone, a random plod he could pay off not to mention this to anyone.

"You stupid bloody man!" Alex Drake yelled at him, trying to regain her breathing after running to him. "You stupid stupid man." She said softer this time, her cool hand on his cheek looking at his bruised face. It warmed him, not the hand, that was bloody freezing but the yelling. There was something in her voice that hadn't been there in so long, stronger than ever and it almost made him want to smile, almost.

"Sorry Drake. I'll get battered on a more convenient time for you when it happens again." He managed to open one eye and there was nothing there, he thought maybe he was going insane until he felt her hand on the rope that tied them together. "Ouch, watch it you bloody sadist." He growled as she tugged at the rope.

"As much as you think I like seeing you in pain, I'm not doing this on bloody purpose!" She tugged harder this time, almost smiling at the hiss of breath he took, "and I'm calling you stupid, because you went alone, even you of all bloody people have more sense. Or so I assumed!" The rope gone she walked around the front of the chair to untie his ankles and couldn't contain the sob as she saw the blood that seeped through the remainder of the shirt he wore. At the noise he looked up from inspecting his wrists and sighed, catching her eyes in one of his seeing them shimmer with un-shed tears. He pulled her up and hugged her, her head resting on his shoulder the rest of her body barely touching him, in case of causing him pain.

"I 'aven't got the energy to argue with you Alex." He pulled her back and looked at her and gave a tight smile, "But damn I've missed it." She smiled at that before shifting and wiping her eyes and going to untie his ankles. "I...Bol...Alex..."

"I wont tell anyone, how...what state...I wont tell anyone." She said simply, finished untying his ankles before coming face to face with Gene again, he nodded and looked as though he was going to speak again, but she stopped him placing her hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb over a cut on his lip. "I thought the worst...when... and then when the warehouse was empty...I..." He shut his eye, breathing in her scent. "I think... I think, I've found something worth fighting for." He managed to open both eyes this time, staring at her hazel ones in wonder, "Even if he's a careless fool." He nodded again, as she moved her hand away, when she attempted to help him up, he almost shoved her away.

"I'm bruised not a bloody cripple. Leave off woman." He groaned, getting used to his legs before almost striding normally out of the warehouse, Alex almost couldn't keep up.

"Oh shut up, you stubborn old man." She said walking off in front of him as he stopped shocked.

"Old! I'll have you know..."

"What?" She stopped and looked at him.

"Bloody women!"

~End~


End file.
